


A Change of Perspective

by PsychVamp



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Best Friends, Christmas Story, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, References to childhood bullying, a non-Christmas, but it works the same way, home for the holidays, i made up an Old Gods holiday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28158450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychVamp/pseuds/PsychVamp
Summary: For the Gendrya-Gift ExchangePrompt: Gendry doesn’t have any family to spend the holidays with, so Arya brings him back to Winterfell. Arya’s never brought anyone home, and the Starks aren’t convinced that they’re just friends.Arya realized that sometimes all you need, is that outside perspective telling you what you are too close to see.
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Comments: 22
Kudos: 145





	A Change of Perspective

**Author's Note:**

  * For [keepthemclose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepthemclose/gifts).



> Happy gift exchange to Keepthemclose!! It took me a few tries (and a few different prompts) before I found the one that flowed the best. I do hope you enjoy it!!
> 
> Happy Holidays, Gendrya Style!!!

Arya was regretting allowing her parents to pay for the plane tickets now, first class meant they had free internet and there was no way she could claim she didn’t see the messages from her siblings. Sansa was the one blowing her up the most. With questions about her bringing home a ‘friend’ she had never brought home a ‘friend’ before. It was very clear to Arya that her sister did not believe her when she said that she and Gendry were just friends. Arya didn’t know what else to say to her sister, as her repeated instance that they were only friends earned her nothing but disbelief. Arya knew she was considered a bit strange in her family, she had never been in a long term relationship. She hadn’t even been in a short term relationship, she went out with a guy for a month, but it was only 3 dates as they were both busy with classes. Part of the reason why it didn’t work out was that neither was willing to really make the time to make it work. Arya also wasn’t someone who could just sleep around for the fun of it. Plenty of her friends could have one-night stands or causal relationships, but that wasn’t the lifestyle for her. She needed the emotional intimacy before she could do the physical intimacy.

_ Sansa 926am: Tell me something about him at least. All Mom said was his name is Gendry. _

_ Arya 927am: He is 26, 6’3, with blue eyes and black hair. Happy? _

_ Sansa 928am: Handsome? Or better yet, send me a pic _

Arya shook her head, she had plenty of pictures of Gendry but she didn’t really want to send one to Sansa. She knew it was silly, that Sansa was going to be meeting him just over an hour anyway, but she could shake the unease all the same. It probably had something to do with the childhood bullying that Sansa and her friends had played on Arya until they had graduated high school. Her senior year had been blissful in comparison because of it. She had gone through some therapy in the years since, working through the self esteem issues it had left behind. Sansa had apologized as well, realizing her mistakes after Arya had confronted her a few years ago. Her sister had even attended a few virtual therapy sessions for her, allowing them to actually become friends for the first time in their lives. She shook her head and found a photo she’d taken a few months ago when they had gone to the cliffs for a hike. Gendry was fully smiling, something he did very rarely, and it was one of her favorite pictures of him. She sent it to her sister.

_ Sansa 937am: *wide eyed emoji*  _

_ Arya 938am: Is that a good thing? _

_ Sansa 940am: Gods yes. You are a lucky woman. _

_ Arya 941: I told you, we are just friends. _

There was a small pocket of turbulence and she saw Gendry stiffen out of the corner of her eye and she turned to look at him, “You okay?”

He nodded, “Fine.”

She smiled and shook her head, this was his first time flying, and she knew he was just putting on a good show, “Just a little turbulence, nothing to worry about.”

He sighed, his eyes focused on the ceiling of the plane, “I should have just stayed home.”

“And be alone for the holidays, I was not going to let that happen.” She replied, flashing him a smile, “you’ll love it in Winterfell.”

“I’ve never seen snow before.” He admitted.

“I know, you’ll love it.” She replied before turning back to her tablet, a new message from Sansa waiting but she chose to ignore it, “We are almost there, just about a half an hour to go.”

“Good, good.” He said and then picked up the first class tablet, poking around looking for something to distract himself.

She shook her head with a little laugh and turned back to her tablet, they would land soon, and she would deal with Sansa then.

* * *

Her dad was waiting for them when they walked out of the baggage claim, the family’s large grey SUV making it easy to spot. Arya popped the trunk and threw her bag in the back, Gendry following her actions. They needed to work quickly, the airport security didn’t like you taking your time, not even for the mayor. Gendry closed the trunk and they both climbed into the car, Gendry in the backseat and she into the passenger. She leaned over and gave her dad a quick hug before he pulled away.

Arya smiled at him, “It is so nice to see you Dad. This is Gendry Waters.”

“Nice to meet you Mr Stark.” Gendry replied from his seat.

“Ned is just fine.” Her father said with a chuckle, “It is good to finally meet you, I’ve heard so much over these last few years.”

Arya tried not to blush, it wasn’t anything new for her to tell her father about her friends, but she also knew she probably talked about Gendry twice as much as anyone else. She would justify that with that she also sees Gendry twice as much.

“Good things I hope, sir.” Gendry said, and Arya could hear the nervous tone in his voice.

“Of course.” Ned replied, his eyes remaining focused on the road, “We are happy to have you. No one should be alone for the holidays if they don’t have to be.”

“That is exactly what I told him.” Arya commented, flashing Gendry a smile, “Is everyone else home already?”

Ned nodded, “Your sister flew back yesterday. Jon and Ygritte came in last week already.”

“How is Talisa doing?”

“Ready to pop, as Robb put it. The due date is still another 3 weeks away.” Ned answered, “Are you ready to meet your nephew?”

“I was kind of hoping I would get too before having to go back to Storm’s End. I will have to come back in a few months.” She said, thinking of the gift she had already bought for her new nephew. She had it delivered to her parent’s house so Robb and Talisa could have it for the holidays.

“Do you have any siblings Gendry?” Ned asked.

“I have two sisters and a brother that I know about.” He responded, “My father apparently liked to get around.”

Ned frowned and glanced at Arya, before focusing back to the road.

“My parents were never married.” Gendry explained, “I didn’t even know who my father was until about a year ago. Arya got me one of those DNA heritage sets and they told me that I had some sibling matches.”

“I see.” Ned said slowly, “Have you had contact with these new siblings?”

“We’ve had a few calls but haven’t met in person yet, they don’t live nearby.” Gendry answered.

“Do you plan to?” 

“Maybe one day.” Gendry replied, his tone short.

Arya knew that meant he was starting to feel defensive and decided to step in, “Gendry has been really busy at work lately. He recently got a promotion.”

“Congratulations.” Ned said cheerily.

Arya could see the blush on Gendry’s cheeks when she turned to look at him, “Thank you sir. It was a shock.”

“Gendry has a great eye for his work. I was not at all surprised.” She said, flashing him another smile.

“And who is your job going, my dear?” Ned questioned as they turned down the road that would bring them their home.

Arya bit her lip, “I….. I might have quit when they tried to keep me from using my vacation for this trip.”

Ned sighed, “Arya.”

“It wasn’t meant to be a long term job anyway, just a way to earn some money and experience before moving on. I have an interview at the museum the week after we get back.” She told him, being rather defensive herself all of a sudden, “I will not be jobless for long.”

“While I do love your confidence, you should have waited to quit until you had your new job.” Ned pointed out, “I will make sure to pray to the gods that you succeed.”

Arya rolled her eyes, “I will be fine Dad.”

Gendry chuckled from the backseat and she turned to look at him, “Have something to add back there?”

Gendry held up his hands in surrender, “I did not say a word.”

She turned back around, “That is what I thought.”

Ned was laughing quietly which made Arya look at him, he had a fond smile on his face but refused to look at her. Just before she could question him, the house came into view and she was smiling for a whole different reason now. She sure did love coming home.

* * *

Catelyn Stark had always been a woman that exuded pose and confidence, and that had not changed since the last time Arya had been home. Her mother looked exactly the same, waiting for her inside the house in a flawless blue dress. She hugged Arya tightly, “I am so happy you are home. Did you have a good flight?”

Arya nodded, “No problems. Mom, this is Gendry Waters.”

Gendry held out his hand, “It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs Stark.”

“You as well Gendry.” Cat replied, shaking his hand, “I will admit I was surprised when Arya said you would be joining us this holiday. She has never brought a guest before.”

“It was a very kind offer.” Gendry agreed and gave Arya a smile.

“I need to get back to lunch. Arya, I had the guest room next to your room made up for Gendry.” Cat said before walking off.

Arya shook her head and picked up her suitcase, “Come on, it's this way.” 

“When you said your house was big, I didn’t think you meant it was a mansion.” He commented as they climbed the stairs to the second story.

Arya blushed and bit her lip, “I don’t usually tell people about it.”

“Why not?”

“It tends to make people either uncomfortable to know I am rich or they try to use me.” She said with a shrug.

“People are shits.” He said, “but with that being said. I expect a much better gift this year than a $25 gift card.”

She laughed, “Don’t worry. I will make sure to make it a $50 gift card instead, how does that sound?”

“Make it a $100 Stark, I got on a plane for you.” He said, giving her wink.

“I think I can arrange that.” She said, smiling at him before opening the door that was second to last in the hall, “This will be your room. Mine is the one right next to it.”

He walked in and his eyes went wide, “This is just a guess room? It is huge!”

Arya laughed, “It used to be Sansa’s room but she and I fought too much. She got moved to the other end of this floor. So my mom converted it to a guest room.”

Gendry put his suitcase on the foot of the bed, “Just how many rooms are there in this place?”

“A lot.” She answered with a shrug, “You and I will be sharing a bathroom, through that door there.”

He walked over and pushed open the door, “And the door on the other side goes into your room?”

Arya nodded, “Part of the reason we fought was because of this bathroom and the fact that Sansa required like three hours to get ready every morning.”

“That is a bit dramatic, it was like 90 minutes.” A voice joked from the doorway.

Arya turned to see her older sister standing there, her red hair was braided and draped elegantly over her shoulder. She was wearing a bright blue shirt and dark wash jeans, looking beautiful as usual. Arya walked over and hugged her sister, “Sansa, good to see you.”

Her sister returned the embrace, “You too. Mom told me you were here. Thought I would come say hello.”

Arya nodded as she pulled back, “Sansa this is Gendry. Gendry, my sister Sansa.”

Gendry held out his hand, “Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, I think the pleasure is all mine.” She said with a smirk, “I am looking forward to getting to know you. If Arya decided to have you join us for the holidays, I can only take that to mean that you aren’t going anywhere, anytime soon.”

Arya fought down the blush that was threatening her cheeks, “Sansa, please don’t try to scare him off.”

“I would never.” Sansa said with feigned outrage, “I am just trying to be friendly.”

“If you want to be friendly, come help me unpack.” Arya said, pushing past her sister and back into the hall, “We will just be next door if you need us.”

“I think I can survive in my fancy ass room for a moment, m’lady.” He teased which caused her to groan and walk away.

Sansa had a knowing smirk on her face the entire time but didn’t say anything until they were in her room, “So, that is Gendry. He is even more handsome in person than that picture you sent.”

“Sansa.” She said warningly.

“What? I am not allowed to admire a pretty face when I see it?” She asked, flopping down onto Arya’s bed.

“As long as admiring is all you do.” Arya said, picking her suitcase up onto the bench at the foot of her bed.

“Don’t worry, I would never dream of trying to take your man from you.”

“He isn’t my man.” She hissed through her teeth.

“Keep telling yourself that.” Sansa replied and picked up one of Arya’s pillows, squeezing it against her chest, “You two are so fucking cute together, it is almost annoying to look at.”

Arya scoffed, “We are not. Gendry is way out of league in the looks department.”

“That is a bunch of bullshit.” Sansa responded, “You are beautiful. I know that the shit Jeyne and I said when we were kids got to you, but I promise none of it is true.”

“You don’t have to pretend now Sansa. I have already accepted it.” Arya promised her, taking her clothes out of the suitcase to put in her dresser, “I am just here to celebrate the holidays with my family. There is no need to attempt to turn it into one of the made for tv holiday rom-coms.”

Sansa smirked at her again, “Oh, I am not so sure about that. Sounds like it could be fun.”

Arya rolled her eyes and turned away from her sister, “Then make yourself the star and leave me and Gendry out of it.”

“Okay. If that is what you really want.” Sansa replied and got to her feet, “Did you have him bring a suit for the Solstice Party?”

“I told him to pack one.” She replied as she hung up a few things in her closet and then pulled out a red, sequined dress, “What is this?”

Sansa smiled, “I made that for you, for the party.”

Arya looked over the dress, it was baby-doll style with a scoop neckline. The top was covered in red sequins, making it catch the light as she turned it, while the skirt was red satin. It was a beautiful dress and something she would have picked out herself, but the thought of Gendry seeing in her something like this made her nervous.

“Do you like it?” Sansa asked after a few moments of silence, “Mon wanted us to wear red this year. I thought something like this would be perfect for you.”

“It is beautiful, thank you.” She said, pushing down her insecurities. She had worn fancy dresses like this one her entire life, just because Gendry would see her one this time didn’t make it anymore special.

“You’re welcome. Now, are you done taking out your one suitcase worth of clothes? I am sure the others would love to see you.”

Arya laughed, “Yeah, come one. Let’s get Gendry on the way and introduce him.”

* * *

The introductions and dinner had gone well, she had thought. Everyone was kind and accepting of Gendry’s presence there, and while he was quiet, he was polite. She knew that her family could be loud and overwhelming, especially to people that were not used to such a scene. Gendry had grown up with only his mother, until she had died a few years before she had met him. He had never had the large family experience before and she hoped he was handling it alright. 

She went with him into the room afterwards, “How did you find dinner?”

“It was delicious, your mother is a good cook.”

“That is not what I meant.” She said with a shake of her head.

He shrugged, “Everyone seems nice enough.”

“You aren’t ready to run for the hills yet?”

He chuckled, “Nah. It is too cold to run anywhere.”

“Oh, do you think it is cold now?” She asked with a smirk and walked toward the door.

His smile failed, “I know that look. What do you have planned?”

“You’ll have to wait until the morning to find out. Goodnight Gendry.” She said, giving him a little wave before closing the door to his room.

She laughed to herself as she walked back to her own room. All that would be happening tomorrow was she was going to show him the ruins of Winterfell Castle. It used to be the home of the Kings of Winter centuries before and the former home of House Stark but with modernity it had fallen into disrepair. Her father was actually working on having portions of it renovated, he had plans to turn it into a museum for the North. She couldn’t wait to be able to show him.

“Arya!” A voice called to her and she turned with a smile to her older brother.

“What can I help you with Jon?” She asked, opening the door to her room at the same time, knowing he would follow her in.

“We just didn’t get a chance to speak privately earlier.” He said, closing the door behind him, “I just wanted to let you know. I think Gendry is great. I am glad we all finally got the chance to meet him.”

“You have no idea how much of a relief it is that everyone seems to like him. I would hate to have brought him up here for a week only for everyone to hate him.” She said, leaning down to check on her phone. She had left it to charge upstairs during dinner, no missed messages, just as she assumed.

“Even if we did hate him, you know Mom would never allow us to break character and display it.” He said with a chuckle.

She laughed as well, “I appreciate it all the same. Do you have the ring?”

He blushed and shook his head, “Dad is keeping it for me. I didn’t want her to find it before it is time.”

Arya grinned, “Are you still planning on doing it before the party?”

He nodded, “I am going to do it before we go downstairs. We are going to be all dressed up, she always needs help with the clasp of those necklaces. I figured I’d help her with that and say ‘It just needs one more thing.’ Get down on one knee and then purpose with the ring.”

“That sounds perfect.” She said, trying to keep down the excited squeal. 

Jon’s grin was even greater than her own, “Do you think she will say yes?”

“I do. You two are great together and it's been five years.” She replied, giving him a wink, “If you need help with anything. Let me know.”

“I will.” He replied, “When are you going to take the leap with Gendry?”

She let out a long sigh, “Don’t you start too.”

“We just want to see you be happy and Gendry makes you happy. I can’t remember the last time I have seen you smile so much.” He told her and walked back over to the door, “Just think about it. Sleep well, little sister.”

“You too.” She whispered as he left.

She quickly changed into her pajamas, a fleece set with wolves on it. A gift from Jon a few years earlier, it was too warm for the outfit in Storm’s End, even during the winter. It was however perfect for the cool nights of Winterfell. She crawled into her bed in the pale darkness of her room, knowing the way around the space perfectly. She fell asleep to the thoughts that her siblings had planted in her mind, to thoughts of Gendry and what could be if she expressed her feelings for him.

* * *

“This is amazing. Did the Starks really used to live here?” He asked as they got out of the car and walked toward the gate. The snow was crunching under their feet and Gendry still seemed amazed about the white substance that surrounded them.

“The Starks lived here for thousands of years.” She told him, “It was said to have been built by Bran the Builder during the Age of Heroes. When the monarchy was overthrown and the democracy was put in place, the Starks moved out of the castle to show their support for the people. It fell into disarray after a few hundred years of neglect. My grandfather always wanted to restore it to at least some of its former glory but he never got a chance, now my father and brothers are working on fixing it up. They want to make it into a museum.”

“I can’t wait to see what looks like when that happens.” He told her, his eyes moving around the courtyard, which was one of the cleaner areas.

Arya nodded, “I have thought of moving back up here once I finish my degree. I could run the museum you know?”

“Is that why you went into archeology in the first place? Did you always know you wanted to come back here and fix this place up?”

“Maybe.” She admitted and led him toward the great hall, one of the only safe places in the building proper at the moment, “I have also felt such a strong connection to this place. If I could help restore it, I would love that.”

Gendry was looking at her with soft eyes, a small smile on his lips. It made her blush, “What? Was that too sappy?”

He shook his laugh and chuckled, “No, I can just hear the love you have for this place. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way about anywhere that I’ve lived.”

“Not even Storm’s End?” She asked, pushing open the barred gate to the space after she unlocked it.

“I am only in Storm’s End because I got that scholarship. It got me out of Flea Bottom and I jumped at the opportunity. If I hadn’t gotten the job with my firm, I would have just gone wherever I had gotten one. Nothing is really keeping me tied to Storm’s End.”

“Not even your job. You can work remotely.” She said, remembering that he told her that.

“Aye.” He answered, and she wanted to ask him to come to Winterfell with her when it was time, but she had at least another year left before she got her Ph.D and there was time for that later. His eyes scanned the room, “What was this place?”

“The Great Hall. It would have been where the Kings and Lords of Winterfell treated their subjects. This is where trials and feasts would have been held as well.” She walked up to the large fireplace still intact against the far wall, “We think the head table or throne would have been here. The lord then could have looked out over the whole space.”

Gendry was looking at the fireplace, the carved direwolf heads were still somewhat visible under the centuries of dust and soot. He reached out to trace one, not upset that his finger came back dirty. He shook his head, “It was amazing that people made all these things with nothing but their hands. These days we have computer models to build the structures for us. We have machines to lift the stones hundreds of feet in the air. Back then they would have had to do all of this with ropes and pulleys. Each stone would have had to be carved with hand tools. Even these little direwolves. We can stamp them into stone within minutes, but this would have taken days.”

Arya smiled, “It is beautiful.”

Gendry stood back to his full height, “This is all something else.”

“A lot of the structure we can’t go into because it isn’t safe but I can show you the stables and the forge if you want.” She said after a few moments of the silence.

His eyes light up, “There is a forge?”

Arya laughed, “I thought you’d like that.”

As they walked back out of the hall, she couldn’t help but feel that pull once more. This castle has called to her ever since she was child and she had come with her father to see it. It had still just been in the planning stage back then, no work had been started but she could see the beauty that the castle had once had in her mind’s eye. She had started learning all she could about ancient cultures then, focusing mostly on her own Northern culture but she had branched out to others as well. When it came time for college, she had known she wanted to be an archaeologist, it was what she had always wanted. She wanted the knowledge that she could have, with hopes that her father would let her study the castle. There was so much they had yet to find in their previous searches of the castles. The entrance to the underground crypts had disappeared and she would love nothing more than to be the one to find them.

She glanced over at Gendry, he was an historian in his own way. He was an architect, working for a firm based in Storm’s End. They only really worked on commercial buildings but she wondered if he would be willing to branch out, maybe together they could rebuild Winterfell Castle. She just needed to take the leap and ask him.

* * *

The day of the Solstice Party came in like any other day but Arya couldn’t shake the nerves that she had woken up with that morning. She had felt them simmering all through breakfast and into the afternoon, even now, as Sansa was helping her with her hair, she felt it in her gut.

“You have been quieter than usual? Did something happen at the ruins yesterday?” Sansa asked, her finger pulling at Arya’s hair.

“It was a perfect day.” She answered, watching her sister in the mirror.

“Then what is the matter?” 

Arya closed her eyes, “How do I tell him how I really feel?”

“You mean how to tell your friend that you don’t want to be just friends?” Sansa asked, her eyes meeting with Arya’s in the glass.

“Yeah.” She breathed out, “I’ve never wanted to be with anyone before Sansa, only him, but what if he doesn’t feel the same way? What if I tell him how I feel and he decides I am not worth being friends with anymore?”

“I have only known Gendry for a few days but I do not think he is the kind of man that would throw you aside for sharing your feelings. Especially as I would be willing to bet a lot of money that he feels the same way about you.” Sansa said, before she reached to pick up a few hair pins.

“How can you be so certain?”

Sansa let out a long sigh, “I know that none of my relationships have worked out, mostly because I have an absolutely terrible choice in men, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what love looks like. You know too. Mom and Dad, Robb and Talisa, Jon and Ygritte. You look at Gendry the way they all look at each other and he looks at you the same way.”

Arya wanted to believe her sister, wanted to believe that if she took the leap that she knew Gendry would be jumping alongside her. She took a deep breath, “What should I do?”

“I cannot tell you that. You also don’t have to do anything today or even this week.” She replied and put a red clip in her hair, “There, all done.” 

Arya glanced up, seeing the reflection of her hair in the mirror Sansa was holding up, “It is beautiful Sansa. You sure do have a knack for this.”

“Just comes from lots of practice. I couldn’t always afford makeup people for my models you know.” Sansa said with a laugh.

Arya got to her feet, the dress floating down past her knees, and did a little spin, “How do I look?”

Sansa grinned at her, “Beautiful. Maybe you won’t have to make the move, perhaps this dress will make Gendry do it instead.”

Arya blushed and looked away, she had no chance of that happening. She looked over her sister in her red, full length dress. She had gone with a much more revealing dress than Arya’s own, it had a sweetheart neckline but was mostly backless, only red sequined straps that criss-crossed across it. She had her own hair pulled up but still falling in red curls that just brushed her shoulders. She was truly stunning, she could be a model for her own work if she so wanted, “You are gorgeous.”

Sansa smirked, “I am single and ready to mingle.” Arya laughed at her sister’s joke, it was a way to lighten the mood, “Should we join the others downstairs? I am sure the guests will start arriving anytime now.”

Arya nodded, she would need to face Gendry eventually. As she walked through the hall, she forgot about one thing. She had been so focused on how Gendry would react to her in a fancy dress but she had forgotten that she would be seeing him in a suit for the first time.

He was speaking with Jon and Theon at the base of the stairs, all three of them turned their eyes up to watch as they descended the stairs. Arya kept her eyes on Gendry, his eyes were wide as he took her in. She tried to not blush because now that she was looking for it, she could see what Sansa was talking about. There was love in his eyes.

“You two look great.” Jon said as they reached the bottom of the stairs, “You design the dresses Sansa?”

“You think I would buy off the rack when I run my own design company?” She asked, frowning at their brother.

Jon laughed, “I shouldn’t have bothered to ask.”

“Did you ask her?” Arya asked, breaking up the moment.

Jon nodded, “She said yes.”

Arya jumped up and hugged her brother, “I am so happy. Where is she?”

“Calling her parents.” He replied, unable to keep the smile off his face, “Can you believe it?”

“I never had any doubts.” Arya told her before she was pushed aside so Sansa could give her congratulations. It caused her to stumble back into Gendry, who simply placed a hand on her back to steady her.

“You look beautiful.” He whispered.

She blushed, “Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“Thanks. Your brother had to give me the tie. I didn’t know there was a color scheme.” He said, playing with the said piece of fabric.

She felt her breath catch in her throat, her mother must have decided he had to match, but why? Usually she only cared about that with family members, not their guests. 

The ringing of the door bell broke up her thoughts as she watched one the staff her mother had hired for the night head to the door. She let out a long breath, she would worry about what her mother was thinking later. Right now, she needed all of her focus on keeping a smile on her face for the mingling she would have to do. She just hoped she wouldn’t make a fool of herself.

* * *

She had somehow lost Gendry in the crowds when she had gotten pulled to the side by Mr. Reed, one of her father’s oldest friends and the father of Bran’s boyfriend, Jojen. She had assumed he stopped to wait for her but when she turned around, he was nowhere to be seen. She began her search of the first floor of the house, where there were dozens of people filling each room. She would have thought he would be easy to find, as he was a few inches taller than most of the people in the room. 

She turned to see if perhaps he had needed a break and went upstairs when she ran into the last person she wanted to see today, Jeyne Poole. She was wearing a fancy blue dress, one that Arya could tell had also been made by Sansa, and grimaced.

Jeyne grinned at her, “Arya! How lovely to see you.”

“Jeyne.” She said politely and went to move past her but the girl spoke once more.

“I heard you have been living in Storm’s End.” 

Arya sighed, “Yes, I am finishing up my PhD at the university.”

“You always did like being the smart one.” She commented, “Any boyfriend waiting for you down there? Or are you still living the life of an old cat lady in the body of a 23 year old?”

The little laugh that Jeyne gave her sent a familiar chill down her spine, all those years of teasing coming back to her in a moment. She straightened her back, trying to not let the woman get to her, “No one is waiting for me. What about you Jeyne, do you have a boyfriend wandering around here somewhere? Or are you still trying to get Theon to give you the time of day?”

Jeyne’s eye twitched, like Arya had slapped her. Arya turned to walk away, she had more important people to talk to anyway.

“At least people actually like me.” Jeyne sneered at her.

Arya felt like she was going to cry, the knife digging into her back was reaching toward her heart.

“Who the fuck are you to speak to her that way?” A deep voice said and she looked up to see Gendry standing before her. He reached forward and she fell into his arms, forcing the tears that threatened to fall to remain in her eyes.

“What is going on here?” She heard her mother’s voice say but she refused to look out from Gendry’s chest until she was sure she wouldn’t try.

“This woman was insulting Arya.” Gendry replied.

“I was doing no such thing, we were just having a conversation.” Jeyne replied, “I just wanted to catch up with my old friend.”

Arya shook her head against Gendry’s chest and his arms tightened around her, “Friends don’t speak to each other that way.”

“Who are you anyway?” Jeyne asked.

Arya finally felt under control and pushed away from Gendry’s chest, turning to look at Jeyne. She took a deep breath and said, “We have never been friends, Jeyne. Someone cannot be friends with someone who takes such joy in tearing down your self esteem. Gendry, he is my real friend. Now, fuck off.”

Jeyne looked absolutely shocked and was about to say more when one of her sisters came up and dragged her away. Arya was glad to know that at least not all of the Poole sisters were clueless.

Gendry looked down at her, “Are you okay?”

Arya nodded, “Yes, thank you.”

“Arya.” 

She turned to look at her mother, “Does Jeyne really try to tear down your self esteem?”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, Mom.” She replied, suddenly feeling exhausted at the emotional toll she had gone through in the last ten minutes.

Catelyn nodded, “We can talk later. Gendry, why don’t you take Arya upstairs? I think you both could use a break from this party.”

“Thank Mom.” Arya said and grabbed Gendry’s hand, pulling him out of the room and toward the stairs. 

They didn’t speak as they walked toward their rooms, they bypassed his door and went into her room instead. The door closed behind them and she sat down on the bed, placing her head in her hands. After a moment of silence she looked up at him, he had walked over to her bookcase and was looking at her collections. It was such a peaceful moment, but she knew they needed to talk, “Thank you, for standing up for me.”

Gendry walked over and kneeled in front of her, “I will always stand up for you, that is never going to up for debate.”

“Did I ruin your enjoyment of the party? I was trying to find you.”

He chuckled, “I had just gone to the bathroom. I was coming back to join you when I heard that woman’s awful words. Was that the Jeyne that you told me about?”

She nodded, “That would be her.”

“I am surprised your mother invites her to this thing after everything she put you through.”

“I never told her about it, or anyone.” She admitted, “Not until my therapist anyway, and you.”

He nodded, “I am glad you trusted me with it. Are you going to tell her now?”

“She isn’t going to let it go, I will have too.” She admitted and gave him a small smile, “I really should have done it a long time ago.”

“Good. Now, you know that I am here for you right? That I do actually like you.” 

She laughed, “I will not let Jeyne’s words to get to me, I promise.”

He got up and sat beside her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “Good. I would hate to have to spend the rest of this trip convincing you she was wrong.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder, “I really can’t say this enough, thank you.”

He kissed the top of her head, “Always.”

She felt so much love and support coming from him as he held her close, and she felt it was time. She took a deep breath and pulled back from him, just enough to look him in the eye. She had things she had wanted to say, a lead up to some grand declaration but Gendry was having none of that. He leaned his head down and pressed his lips to her own. It was her first kiss and she was loving it, even if it was shorter than she would have liked.

He pulled away and looked at her, “Was that okay?”

She smiled and giggled, “I was planning this big speech about how I was thinking we should try being more than friends. You ruined it.”

He chuckled, “Ruined in a good way right?”

She leaned up and just before kissing him again said, “In the best way.”

* * *

When they eventually made it downstairs again, the party was still in full swing but that didn’t stop Sansa from coming up to them upon seeing their joined hands. She handed them both a glass of champagne with a huge smile on her face before walking off to join her friend Maergery Tyrell by the tree. Arya shook her head, she should have known her sister was right, and she had never been more grateful for the push. Things were going to change now, but she was ready for it, and whatever else the future had planned for her, as long she had her family and Gendry by her side.


End file.
